Relationships are based on communication. Ultimately, so is society. When we have no more communication, there will be no society, only some Lockean “state of nature” where no one actually talks to each other. We may be closer to that state than you think.
“What?” you ask, “Aren’t we getting closer to eachother than ever before through texting and social media?”
Yeah right. And I’m about to go play hockey on the quad right now.
People often claim that they have become much closer to their friends through these artificial means. That may be, but I seriously doubt that any long-term friendship has been sustained or even helped by large doses of social media interaction.
First, electronic communication puts an extra stage between two people. You have two screens, filled with other interesting things. Even the best multitasker will never be able to pay full attention to three friends in three different media at the same time.
Second, even if you are only texting or chatting with one person, you don’t have the ability to convey emotion, nor the space to say as much as you would like to. Your communication is gravely limited by its very nature.
“I don’t care,” some may say. “I have had lots of great Facebook conversations.” I would simply ask you to think again about how great those conversations have been. Compare them to real conversations that you have had and then tell me then that you don’t wish you could take your Facebook time and put it into face-to-face communication.
Think about the last political debate or personal conversation you had via social media. Did you ever get beyond superficial issues? Did you have the time or interest to delve deeper into the philosophical presuppositions that grounded your point of view?
No matter how many times I post on Facebook that I like Ron Paul, I will never convince anyone without sitting down and talking directly to them.
Similarly, I can never hope to help a hurting friend through a tough situation by “liking” his or her status. Not even Facebook’s famously glitchy chat window can express sympathy or understanding. Any attempt to use these tools to help facilitate communication is good, but it will never be enough to substitute for any amount of real, personal conversation.
Social media, at its worst, becomes the new definition of “community” and our default form of social interaction. This technology, once meant to aid individuals in communicating, becomes the sole means of communication between many people. This inhibits real thoughts and friendships from forming. Our thoughts are becoming dangerously limited in scope and depth. When I can get online and chat for five minutes with a friend from home, I feel as if I have maintained our friendship when, in reality, we’ve have had no real exchange of thoughts. We are coming to live in a world defined by our artificial, online “friendships” instead of our true, personal relationships with real people.
And don’t even get me started on the grammar.
Lol.